KUSATSU, Shiga Prefecture--A group of students has found a way to recycle cigarette butts as T-shirts and persuaded local pachinko parlors and gas stations to donate the contents of their ashtrays to their enterprise.
Students create fabric from cigarette butts
More AJW
Related Articles
'Girls Festival' lures 2,000 customers to new Shibuya mall
May 13, 2012Firing its first shot in a campaign to attract women shoppers, the new Shibuya Hikarie shopping and entertainment complex came alive on May 12 with a pulsating and packed fashion show.
fun! fun! fashion!: Cool Japan hits India
May 09, 2012Editor's note: This is an occasional column "fun! fun! fashion!" by Rei Shito, a Tokyo street-fashion photographer. The original column in Japanese can be read at (http://www.asahi.com/fashion/column/fun/).
Bangkok's Shibuya 19 apes Tokyo shopping landmark
May 08, 2012BANGKOK--A new shopping center in a bustling district in Thailand’s capital city is proving Japan’s status as a youth fashion leader in Asia but also the difficulty of leveraging that prestige for the benefit of Japanese companies.
Geisha, maiko dance on eve of Kyoto's Kamogawa Odori
May 01, 2012A colorful stage full of dancing geiko (Kyoto geisha) and apprentices known as maiko heralded the start of the annual Kamogawa Odori, a traditional event in Kyoto known as a harbinger of early summer in the ancient capital.
Kyoto cafe owner aims to bring peace through the samurai
April 10, 2012KYOTO--When customers pass through the "noren" shop curtains at the front entrance of the bar Shi-Shin, they are greeted by the bearded owner dressed as a feudal samurai.